Weather Forecast

Snellman Days will be held over heavily trafficked Labor Day weekend

Bingo is one of the table activities offered at Snellman Days. (Enterprise file photo)

The little town of Snellman is about to have a lot of visitors on Labor Day weekend for its annual Snellman Days.

Extended to three days this year, Snellman Days is from Saturday, Sept. 1 to Monday, Sept. 3.

Throughout the weekend, vendors will be set up for the flea market and rummage sale.

There's also a lot to watch during Snellman Days, like the classic vehicle show at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Snellman on Saturday morning, the rug-weaving demonstrations Saturday and Sunday, and the and VFW Auxiliary presentation on Saturday.

There will be other fun activities Saturday, like a coloring contest, karaoke and a horseshoe toss. There are also kids games and Bingo on Saturday and Sunday.

There's a lot to eat at Snellman Days as well. The hot dog eating contest is Saturday at 2 p.m., and the watermelon eating contest is Sunday, also at 2 p.m. The hot dog eating contest is a new event this year.

There are also produce and bakery stands set up with the flea market, and there will also be bratwursts, hot dogs, hamburgers, roasted corn and fry bread for sale at various times throughout the festival.

Although Snellman has only a handful of permanent residents, about 500 people attend Snellman Days, said Aune Longfors, one of the event's organizers.

"It gets kind of busy," she said. "We get a lot of people off of Highway 34 who stop by, curious." Many of the people who attend are also summer lakes residents, she said.

"And it all started as just a little local celebration to get people together," she added.

Snellman Days is also when the town selects its mayor.

Longfors has had a jar in her shop, Aune's Kauppala, and there's also a jar at Snellman Convenience, where people can pay $1 to put their name or someone else's name in for the chance of being mayor. The drawing will be at noon on Saturday, Sept. 1.

Most of the Snellman Days activities will be Saturday and Sunday, as usual.

This is the first year the festival extends to Monday, where the flea market and rummage sale will stay open.

"Monday will be a much quieter day," Longfors said.

She and the other Snellman residents are excited for the celebration, Longfors added.

They're especially excited to see the many people who come back to the area for Labor Day weekend.

"Kids come home from school, and you see people you haven't seen all year long," Longfors said. "It's very social, and fun."